When your pet dog becomes a Senior Citizen!

Hi ! all doggy buddies :hiya

This is Julie calling from Chennai.I've asked my mistress to talk to you about our age related problems .I'm handing over to my mistress PAULINA now ! Hope these tips will help some of the oldies around here!

Thanks Juliekins!

PAULINA, here.....
Yes pals! Before we realise, our little cuddly ,fluffy ball of energy will be caught up with that ever fast ticking biological clock and before you know it he/she will be a senior citizen deserving more attention and demanding it too.
Dogs develop very fast upto two years of age, after which the ageing plateaus till they are abour six years old. Ageing accelerates after that and most dogs begin to show signs of old age at about eight or nine years.Not all breeds grow old at the same rate; bigger breeds like Alsatians or Great Danes age faster and smaller ones like Poms or Lhasa Apsos may not show any signs till they are twelve.
Dog Age versus Human Age
6months --------- 10 years
8 months --------- 13yrs
12 mnths ---------- 15 yrs
2 yrs ---------- 24 yrs
6 yrs ------------- 40 yrs
10 yrs ------------ 56 yrs
12 yrs ------------ 64 yrs
18 yrs ------------- 88 yrs

As your cutie -pie ages, hearing becomes less acute.The first sign is a seemingly disobedient dog. If you give a command ,say from a distance, he/she may not react ....thats because they are unable to hear the decibels clearly.
Deafness is quite common in old dogs......however their activity need not be curtailed.You can attract his / her attention by tapping loudly on something, either the floor or furniture as they can pick up vibrations from the ground.If their eyesight is good they can follow simple hand signals like 'come '.They pick up these hand signals with constant use.
Most often failing eyesight goes unnoticed in old dogs as other senses compensate for it.
Your pooch is your sweetie-pie, deaf or blind .They can still sniff around,so take them for their daily walks .Rides in the car too can be enjoyed.They'll love sniffing the air as you drive along .Always leave the windows only a little open for them to put their little nosies out not more! Unless you are not driving and have them secure with you in control lest they leap out!

Will get back later with more on this topic.Please give more tips on this topic too, lets pool our info to make it a good BANK to access when the need arises for any of us to make our lovable pets lead comfortable days as they age.
warm regards
PAULINA:wave

 

Hi ! Bhooma,:hiya

Saw Joshua's picture .....a real handsome chappie you have there.

What breed is he? A bit of Lab or Rajapalayam?What is his favourite food?

Yes,neutering is very essential.We got Romeo neutered at the age of 6 months.

We usually prefer to neuter the males as they are more problematic. It improves

their disposition too besides warding off health hazards.

warm regards,
PAULINA:wave

 

Dear Malsy,

Very touching to read about dear little Snoopy.His loving owners will make his last days on earth comfortable surely.

Disease, Decadence and Death in that order are indeed inevitable but difficult facts of life that we all got to accept....for humans or animals.

Losing a dear pet is heart rending. We lost Romeo our 11 year old mixed breed Pom cum Tibetan spaniel in 2006.He just collapsed without any warning and left us. The next evening itself we brought home a Lab pup and christened him Romeo.That way we keep his memory alive by calling out his name.The senior Romeo will always have a special place in our hearts, but we need solace for our broken hearts too don't we as ardent dog lovers.?Besides ,his pair Juliet was alone and she needed companionship too.

Warm regards
PAULINA:wave